Repairing Huawei’s triple-folding phone display costs more than buying iPhone 16 Plus

It will cost you nearly ₹94,000 to repair Huawei Mate XT's tri-fold display, and this is more expensive than buying a brand new iPhone 16 Plus.

Huawei Mate XT has been hugely popular in the Chinese market. (REUTERS)

Huawei, earlier this month, launched its tri-fold foldable device and took social media by storm. People were awestruck to see the foldable device unfold into a 10.2-inch tablet from a device that fits into your jeans pocket. However, as impressive as foldables are, their durability isn't on par with traditional slab-style phones. This is where purchasing the Huawei Mate XT could become problematic. If you break the display, you may have to pay nearly a lakh to get it repaired, which is significantly more than even the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and costlier than buying a brand new iPhone 16 Plus.

Huawei Mate XT: Costlier repairs than even the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Let's compare the cost of display repairs for both the Huawei Mate XT and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. While this comparison may seem like comparing apples to oranges, it's worth noting that one brand has been banned in the US, and the other is renowned for its global popularity and aspirational products.

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For the Huawei Mate XT, you would need to shell out a staggering CNY 7,999, which works out to approximately ₹94,000. This is significantly higher compared to the ₹37,900 quoted by Apple on its repair website. The difference amounts to around ₹56,000.

Moreover, you could purchase the iPhone 16 Plus, which costs ₹89,900, for less than what you'd pay for repairing the Mate XT, which is quite absurd if you think about it.

Mate XT is a niche product, and certainly not for everyone

The Huawei Mate XT, the tri-folding device, is a niche, first-generation product, and it may not be suitable for everyone. As it is a new category and the display is enormous, only enthusiasts are likely to purchase it initially, especially considering its retail price of CNY 19,999, which is nearly ₹2.36 lakh. Therefore, these high repair costs only make sense for now, but won't in the future.

If you are considering importing one to India, remember that Huawei no longer has a presence here, and repairing the device could be a significant challenge if you break it. Your only option would be to send it to China, manage the logistics, and then get it repaired. But, let's be honest—are you willing to go through that trouble?